Girls' name · since 1880
Elmira
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 4,360 babies named Elmira, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,817 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,864 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,360
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Elmira currently ranks #8864 among girls' names in America, with 4,360 babies recorded since 1880.
Elmira has 4,360 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8864 as of the latest data, more common than 49% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2,817 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #8,864 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 4,360 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elmira ranks #2,817 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,864 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 4,360 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2,817 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,864 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,360
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Elmira's 4,360 recorded births place it above 96.1% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Elmira compares
4,360 Top 15% higher than 85% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Elmira's all-time total is 12x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elmira | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,360 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 122 | 21 | 19,840 |
Elmira's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Elmira's SSA record in two at 1942 and the more recent half accounts for 26% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 74%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1974, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 122, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Elmira popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 122
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elmira by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (903 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Elmira's strongest decade.
903 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Elmira births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 211
1880s
211 births
- 1890s 308
1890s
308 births
- 1900s
1900s
389 births
- 1910s
1910s
819 births
- 1920s
1920s
903 births
- 1930s
1930s
520 births
- 1940s
1940s
390 births
- 1950s 332
1950s
332 births
- 1960s 180
1960s
180 births
- 1970s 87
1970s
87 births
- 1980s 32
1980s
32 births
- 1990s 26
1990s
26 births
- 2000s 19
2000s
19 births
- 2010s 88
2010s
88 births
- 2020s 56
2020s
56 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 903 births (21% of all-time use).
How Elmira compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Elmira's total volume
Elmira by state
Where Elmira concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 286 | 6.6% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 136 | 3.1% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 132 | 3.0% |
| #4 | Mississippi | | 126 | 2.9% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 122 | 2.8% |
| #6 | Texas | | 86 | 2.0% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 39 | 0.9% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 37 | 0.8% |
286 of 4,360 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
Elmira appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elmira? ▼
Where does Elmira sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Elmira most popular? ▼
Where is Elmira most popular? ▼
How long has the name Elmira been used? ▼
What names are similar to Elmira? ▼
What to do with Elmira's data
- Elmira's decade-level peak was the 1920s (903 total births); usage has since declined to 56 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Elmiras (286 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Elmira
Nearby Names Like Elmira
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elmira
Compare Elmira side by side: Elmira vs Elma Elmira vs Elmer Elmira vs Elmina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elmira
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Elmira: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Elmira draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.